Car-coupling



(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 29, 1891.

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UNITED STATES CHARLES N. ALDERMAN,

PATENT OFFICE;

OF STREATOR, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,385, dated September 29, 1891. Application filed June 18,1891. Serial No. 396,733. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES N. ALDERMAN,

. a citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Streator, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in oar-couplings.

The object of the invention is to provide a car-coupling with means for readily coupling and uncoupling the link from the draw-head without the necessity of going between the cars, the uncoupling-levers being so constructed that the latch of the draw-head can be held elevated when desired; and the invention consists in the construction and combination of the parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective View. Fig. 2 is a sectional view.

A refers to the car-body, to which the drawhead B is attached in the usual manner. The draw-head is provided with the usual pin-receiving aperture, and rear of said aperture is pivoted a latch C, which is rigidly secured to its pivot-pin 0, having bearing in the sides of the draw-head, one end of said pivot-pin being extended beyond the draw-head and bent to form an operating crank-handle. To the upper side of the draw-head and rear of the recess therein is pivoted a oovering-plate D, the front end of which has a semicircular recess which is adapted to embrace the pin when such is used.

The car-body at a suitable point is provided with bearings e and f, which support a horizontal shaft E, said shaft having a rotary and aslight lateral movement. The bent end 6' of the shaft E is connected with a flexible connection d, which is attached to the bent end of the pivot c for operating the latch C, and

the opposite end of said shaft is bent at a proper angle, so as to lie against the side of the car when the end (2 is downwardly inclined and in a horizontal position, and upon the plate f when it is turned and pushed laterally to bring the end 6' at an upward inclination to elevate the latch O and hold it so.

G refers to a rod which extends slightly above the top of the car, being held in place by suitable bearings g, and above the lower bearing it is enlarged to limit its downward movement. The lower end of this rod has an extended portion 72 to which a short vertical bar h is attached, and to this extension a chain d is secured, which is attached at its" other end to the chain d, as shown. To one side of the vertical rod G is secured a bearing 70, in which the shank l of the dogM bears, said dog presenting the arms m, one of which lies parallel with the car-body, while the other is bent to extend forwardly, as shown.

When it is desired to couple cars, the shaft E and rod G and parts connected therewith are positioned as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, so that when the link is passed into the draw-head the latch will be raised by said link and automatically engage therewith. In uncoupling the cars it is'a'ccomplished by operating the bent end of the pivot-pin 0, either by a pull 011 the rod G or by turning the shaft E. Should the rod G be drawn upon to uncou'ple the cars, the dog M will pass under the bent end thereof and retain it in an elevated position, and in order to release said rod it may be given a quarter-turn, which will throw said dog out of engagement with the notched end, or the dog may be tripped from the side of the car by turning the shaft E, when the bent end 8 thereof willcontact with the lower member of the dog and force the upper member out of the notch. In uncoupling the car from the side thereof the shaft E is turned to elevate the bent end 6 thereof and with it the latch, the parts being held in this position by moving the shaftlaterally to permit the bent end 6 to lie upon the plate), and when it is desired to lower the latch the shaft E is moved laterally to move the bent end e thereof beyond the plate f, which is accomplished from the top of the car by turning the rod G so that the lower extended end will not be necessary for the train-man to go between the cars in coupling or uncoupling.

The cover D, hereinbefore referred to, not only serves to operate in connection with the ordinary pin, but also to cover the slot in the draw-head and exclude dirt or foreign sub stances'therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a draw-head, of uncoupling-bars E andG, having flexible connections attached thereto and to the pivotpin of the latch located Within the draw-head, and means for holding said bars so that their ends will be elevated, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a draw-head having a swinging latch, a pivot-pin to which the latch is secured, the end of said pivot-pin being bent, as shown, flexible connections d and d for operating the latch, said connections.

being connected to bars E and G, which are operated from the top or side of the car, and means for holding the ends of said bars in an elevated position, the parts being so con structed that either bar may be employed to release the other one, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a draw-head constructed substantially as shown, of a vertically-moving bar G, having an extended end h, presenting a notch, as shown, and a dog or catch M, having upper and lower members, the upper member being adapted to engage with the lower end of the bar G to support the same in a raised position, substantially as set forth.

l. The combination, with a laterally-movable shaft E, having a bent end for operating the same and a bent end to which the chain attached to the pivot-pin of the latch is secured,

a plate f for supporting the bent end 6 in an elevated position, of a vertical rod G, having an extended end h, which is adapted to contact with the bent end 6' of the shaft E to move said shaft in its bearings to release it from the plate f, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the rod G, constructed substantially as shown and connected to the pivot-pin of the latch O, a dog M for maintaining said rod in an elevated position, and a shaft E, having a bent end 2', also connected to the pivot-pin of the latch, said bent end being adapted to engage with one member of the dog to trip the other and release the rod G, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES N. ALDERMAN.

Witnesses J. T. MURDOCK, REUBEN SCHULTZ. 

